Latest News: Classical, Alpha (label)
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Interview,
Guy Braunstein on his Abbey Road Concerto 6th June 2024The violinist talks about the world premiere recording of his 35-minute fantasy based on The Beatles' 1969 album, composed in lockdown after his young son developed Beatlemania...
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Recording of the Week,
Florent Schmitt's ballet, La tragédie de Salomé 17th May 2024Normally only performed as a cut-down symphonic suite, Alain Altinoglu and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra present the rarely-recorded full-length version of a work much admired by Stravinsky.
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Recording of the Week,
Shadows of My Ancestors from Behzod Abduraimov 12th January 2024The Uzbek pianist presents a dazzlingly evocative album of virtuosic piano works by Prokofieff, Ravel, and his compatriot Dilorom Saidaminova.
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Recording of the Week,
A fin-de-siècle voyage with Barbara Hannigan and the Emerson String Quartet 8th September 2023The quartet - joined by Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou - go out on a high after nearly fifty years of music-making, with a programme of early twentieth-century works themed around journeying and longing.
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Interview,
Reginald Mobley on Because 20th July 2023Ahead of his Proms performance of the programme at The Sage this weekend, the American countertenor discusses his album of spirituals and songs by Black composers with jazz pianist Baptiste Trotignon, released on Alpha Classics in May.
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Interview,
Eva Zaïcik and David Haroutunian on 'Mayrig: To Armenian Mothers' 19th June 2023The mezzo-soprano and violinist explore some of the themes from their recent album, based around reflections on motherhood in the Armenian classical tradition and in particular the works of Komitas and Aprikian.
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Interview,
Cyrille Dubois on So Romantique! 23rd March 2023The French light lyric tenor explains how he found his operatic niche as a lover rather than a fighter - and discusses his new album on Alpha Classics, featuring rarities by Louis Clapisson, Charles Luce-Verlet and Théodore Dubois alongside one or two old favourites...
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Interview,
Véronique Gens on singing Poulenc's Elle 13th February 2023The French soprano reflects on undertaking the biggest challenge of her career to date, and explains why La voix humaine is 'unique in the whole history of music'...
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Recording of the Week,
Voyage intime from Sandrine Piau and David Kadouch 10th February 2023The French soprano and pianist are beguiling companions on this 'intimate journey' via songs by Schubert, Liszt, Wolf, Clara Schumann, Lili Boulanger, Duparc and Debussy.
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Recording of the Week,
Véronique Gens in Poulenc's La Voix Humaine 13th January 2023The great French tragedienne tackles a role that’s surely been beckoning for years, and the results are every bit as compelling as you'd expect - with the Orchestre National de Lille providing some telling insights into the other side of this fraught phone-conversation...
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Presto Music Classical Podcast,
Episode 29: Eine kleine Havanamusik with Sarah Willis 5th September 2022Horn-player Sarah Willis discusses the second of her Cuban-inspired albums, and the connections between Mozart and Latin American dance.
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Interview,
Golda Schultz on This Be Her Verse 26th May 2022The South African soprano discusses her debut solo recording - a 'love-letter to women in music' featuring songs by Clara Schumann, Emilie Mayer, Rebecca Clarke and Nadia Boulanger, plus a new commission by composer Kathleen Tagg and librettist Lila Palmer.
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Recording of the Week,
Dance With Me from LUDWIG Orchestra and Barbara Hannigan 4th March 2022An ensemble drawn from the Netherlands-based chamber orchestra have a ball with a selection of twentieth-century dances, taking in music by Elgar, Kurt Weill, Glenn Miller and Barry Manilow along the way...
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Interview,
Benjamin Appl on Winterreise 16th February 2022The German baritone talks to Katherine about his new recording of Schubert's great song-cycle (released on Alpha Classics last Friday) and his relationship with his late mentor Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
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Interview,
Sandrine Piau on Handel's Enchantresses 3rd February 2022The French soprano talks to Katherine about her new album featuring snapshots of Alcina, Morgana, Cleopatra and others, and about her rather unorthodox route to a solo singing career...
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Interview,
Kate Lindsey on Tiranno 29th June 2021The American mezzo talks to Katherine about her recent album exploring baroque depictions of Nero (and the women surrounding him), which features music by Monteverdi, Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti and Bartolomeo Monari.
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Recording of the Week,
Kodály and Dvořák from Barnabás Kelemen, Nicolas Altstaedt, and Alexander Lonquich 18th June 2021The violinist and cellist display a truly remarkable synergy in Kodály's Duo from 1914, whilst all three musicians capture the 'Dumky' Trio's rapid shifts between melancholy and boisterousness to perfection.
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Interview,
Justin Taylor on the 'famille Rameau' 20th April 2021The harpsichordist discusses his new album on Alpha, which sees him explore the music of the Rameau clan – not just the famous Jean-Philippe but also his equally distinguished descendants.
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Recording of the Week,
Strauss Lieder from Sandrine Piau and Daniel Behle 19th March 2021The French soprano brings an uncommon freshness and flexibility to the Four Last Songs with the Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté, whilst Behle and his regular recital-partner Oliver Schnyder revel in the composer's coruscating attack on publishers in the rarely-recorded Der Krämerspiegel.
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Recording of the Week,
Behzod Abduraimov plays Debussy, Chopin and Mussorgsky 22nd January 2021The Uzbek pianist is beguiling in Children's Corner and the 24 Preludes Op. 28, and offers the virtual tour of one's dreams in Pictures at an Exhibition.